


I Like Me Better

by notstilinski



Series: Flower Shop - She-Ra [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Based On A Lauv Song, Catra (She-Ra) Is A Mess, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shadow Weaver And Hordak Get Very Basic Names, Songfic, The Same Universe As Most Of My Other She-Ra Works, There Are Some Background Relationships Slash Mentions But Nothing Explicit, Updates Every Day Until Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-23 15:17:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17685950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notstilinski/pseuds/notstilinski
Summary: Catra didn’t know if that was really true but she would like to think that it would be for Adora. And if Adora was okay than she would be okay too, right?Valentine's Day 'Challenge': An Update Every Day Until Valentine's Day.





	1. Young And In Love

To be young and in love in New York City _New York City_  
To not know who I am but still know that I'm good long as you're here with me  
To be drunk and in love in New York City  
Midnight into morning coffee  
Burning through the hours talking

* * *

   There was something beautiful about New York in the winter time. As cheesy as it was, it really did look like something out of a movie or some sort of magazine. It was almost enough for Catra to actually be close to understanding why so many people were interested in seeing the city at least once in their lives. She had never been one of those people… At least she wouldn’t admit to being one of those people. Anyone who knew her would think that she had lived in the city since birth and had been hardened by the streets. Only one of those thoughts was true, though. Scorpia was lucky enough to have seen glimpses of a softer side to the younger woman and had given her a chance. She had given her friendship. It was something that the other was actually thankful for especially when you took into consideration what had happened because of it. 

      The letterman hung loosely from her shoulders as she leaned against the archway in wait. Mismatched eyes followed every movement of the blonde across the room as she fought back the smile that threatened to spread across her lips. Adora seemed to genuinely enjoy her job. It was so nice to see and even nicer to watch. There would be moments where Bow made her laugh and the sound would float over the soft music that always played in the store. Her smile that always seemed to be present when she worked was even better. It took almost a full hour before Adora noticed her date in the doorway to the backroom and the smile grew even wider. Something was whispered to her co-workers before she pulled her apron off to rush over to the other girl. 

     “Hey, Adora.” It came out as a delighted purr as she allowed herself to smirk. 

      Which was quickly wiped away as Adora pressed their mouths together in a sweet but quick kiss. Her hand grabbed onto her girlfriend’s without any sort of thought as she pulled away. 

      “I’ll get my stuff and we’ll be good to go.”

      Catra hated to admit how cheesy their story sounded while everyone else always cooed over it. Yes, she had hopelessly pinned after Adora from afar. She had been too nervous to ask her out for what seemed like years. (It had been literal months but nothing compared to what it felt like). It was a miracle that Scorpia hadn’t found a way to make her admit to any romantic feelings for Adora prior to the day that they went out on their first date. Everyone at the flower shop seemed to have been as surprised about the news as her friends. 

     Their first date hadn’t been anything romantic, either. That was part of the reason why she would never understand why everyone insisted that their relationship was so romantic. She had thought of some cheesy and romantic dates- That was a given. But that was not what their first date ended up being. (Scorpia said that they should have had a do-over date that was more romantic while Entrapta said that it fit their personalities). It had taken so long for Catra to admit that she even liked her girlfriend and she knew that it would take even longer to admit to anything else. Even if it was personal information that people usually gave out so freely on first dates. The drinks had actually been Adora’s idea, if they were to be honest. They had been Adora’s idea but it was because of Catra that they had ended up completely wasted. 

     Both of them had said some personal things that they never would have. It was also the reason that they realized that they had almost met long before that moment at the flower shop. In fact, they had gone to the same school just at separate times and lived around the same area. There had been a harsh silence that settled over them at the mention of Lorraine and Hank. First dates were for the basic information that people needed to know about the person to decide if they were genuinely interested in getting to know them more. The first date was not the time where you revealed your tragic backstory to the girl that you had been crushing on for an entire semester. But then again when ever did that girl have a similar experience to yours? Much less have experience with the same abusers as you did?

     Maybe it was something that brought them closer instead of breaking them apart. There was this mutual sort of understanding… Something that neither of them had had with anyone in their entire life. 

     “What’s your favorite animal?” Adora had asked so suddenly after that long silence that it almost made Catra jump. She didn’t wait for any sort of response, though, and continued on. “Mine is a horse! Some kids called me a ‘horse girl’ to make fun of me but… I don’t know why that’s a problem, really. Horses are so cool and-”

     That moment there actually was a small smile as Catra rested her chin in the palm of her hand and watched the other girl. Every word seemed to pass right over her head as she simply sat and enjoyed the sight that was Adora talking passionately about something. 

     It was a knock at the door that cut through the air and their conversation that got their attention. It was also that knock that made them both realize how the entire room had changed… Mainly the fact that it was no longer pitch black out with the quiet noises of nighttime. There was instead sunlight streaming in through the windows and a more intense, but still quiet, noise of early morning New York. Another knock. Catra simply groaned as she moved to stand up and stretch her stiff muscles before she moved to answer the door. 

      “Hey!” Scorpia sounded a bit too cheery and a bit too awake for that early in the morning. “I got you some coffee. Entrapta said that you guys would need it.”

     “Thanks…” She muttered as she took the two cups from her friend before she froze, “Wait. How did Entrapta know-”

     Adora seemed to have her life together. It was impressive, of course, but even more so when you realized just how young she was. She wasn’t even old enough to graduate college yet but she had such a good life. There were things that seemed to rub off on her girlfriend. (The first time that Catra had made a joke about that, she had been punched in the arm so hard that it had bruised). Everyone seemed to notice the small shift in Catra’s personality. 

      - Entrapta said that she didn’t seem as cranky as she normal was. 

     She also tried to be more ‘healthy’ so to speak when it came to her anger. Adora told her that she couldn’t just go around and get into fights all the time like she normally did. 

     Maybe therapy would be a good idea. It was a topic that was briefly mentioned between one of their conversations as Catra walked Adora to work from her apartment. 

     - Really? It seemed like their apartment at that point with how much time the two spent together. 

      Adora hadn’t gone to therapy but she had admitted that it would probably be good for her. It would be good for the both of us, she had said once. Because of the things that they had gone through. It would be good. Catra didn’t know if that was really true but she would like to think that it would be for Adora. And if Adora was okay than she would be okay too, right?


	2. I Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you guys need help?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I can come down and help. Scorpia won’t mind if it’s just her and Entrapta for a day.”
> 
> There was an even longer pause on Adora’s end.

Damn, I like me better when I'm with you  
I like me better when I'm with you  
I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time 'cause  
I like me better when  
I like me better when I'm with you

* * *

 

     “You seem happier when you’re with her.”

      “You’re smitten!”

     “It’s so cute. You’re  _ in loooove. _ ”

     Something about her relationship that she hated was how her friends reacted to it. It was almost like they had never seen her be soft or vulnerable with anyone or anything since they had met her. That might be the case but they had no right to act the way that they did! Every time it was mentioned, Catra could feel the tips of her ears heat up as she struggled not to show any signs of… What? Weakness? There was nothing wrong with the fact that she had feelings for someone and that she could be vulnerable. It was annoying but it wasn’t bad that Entrapta and Scorpia thought that she was suddenly so soft. Because she was!

     Adora made her that way and it was something that Catra actually enjoyed. 

      She enjoyed the fact that her chest felt warm whenever Adora would smile at her. She enjoyed the fact that there would still be butterflies in her stomach every time that they held hands. She enjoyed the fact that she still felt weak in the knees when they kissed. 

     She was even excited to hold hands out in public just so everyone would know that they were together! 

      Catra felt happier than she had ever been in her entire life. The only thing that was better than the time that she spent with her girlfriend was when she finally left Lorraine and Hank. Nothing could completely beat that, honestly. But Adora was a close second… Maybe she was even better but in a different way. It didn’t even matter, though! Adora made her happy and that was all that she could think about or focus on. 

     “Hey, babe.”

     There was that warm feeling that always spread through her chest at the mere sound of her girlfriend’s voice. Since they were on the phone and not face to face, Catra allowed the wide smile to spread across her features as she forced herself to sound calmer than she felt. It was something that she had a lot of practice with too. 

     “Hey,” she practically purred as she paused to lean her weight against the counter, “what’s up.”

     A small noise came from the other side of the phone and she heard someone yell for Glimmer. Huh… Trouble at work? She hadn’t spent that much time with Adora’s other best friend but she knew the schedule for Plumeria well enough. Glimmer only came in if she was really needed or someone was out sick. Plus the voice sounded a bit more stressed out than the usual atmosphere for the flower shop to call for. 

    “Do you guys need help?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I can come down and help. Scorpia won’t mind if it’s just her and Entrapta for a day.”

    There was an even longer pause on Adora’s end. 

    “Could you?” She sounded so hopeful, “Perfuma will probably insist on paying you or something. It’ll really help if you do, though.”

     She knew that she would do a lot of things to spend time with her girlfriend or to just be around her. A lot of stupid things. But she knew that there ‘quality time’ wouldn’t be a lot if she actually went to help out at Plumeria and that it would stress her out as well. Most of the time, Catra would look for a way to avoid any sort of serious amount of work. But she couldn’t just let Adora be that stressed and miserable at work when she usually enjoyed it so much. Plus everyone else would appreciate it too, right?

    The last thought didn’t sink in until a couple minutes later and Catra practically tripped over her own feet. She wasn’t completely heartless but she also rarely -very rarely- worried about anyone else and helping them. The thought was shaken off as she continued her walk to the shop where she ducked around the side so she could go in through the back. 

     A messy bob of pink hair was the first thing that she noticed when she walked in. Damn. Did Glimmer shrink between the last time that they had seen each other? Their eyes met a second later as the smaller girl rose to her feet, a bundle of daisies in her arms. It was silent for a moment before the tension in her shoulder’s seemed to slip away and she let out a sigh of relief. 

     “Thank the stars that you’re here. Adora is in front with Bow.”

    Flower shops always seemed like they would be easy to work at and would have barely any sort of training. All you had to do was put flowers together and make them look pretty for people. It was an easy job, right? That thought was wrong as Catra quickly found out almost as soon as everyone realized that she was there. Maybe it had been the fact that the shop always seemed so calm and peaceful… An easy job. She had never seen it so crazy and high stressed. It was something that she would have expected out of some retail store on something like Black Friday. It was February so people were most likely buying flowers for their significant other’s but that didn’t mean that people had the right to be crazy about it. Was that the sort of behavior and things that Adora expected when they went out for Valentine's Day?

     Her job was to between the back room and the front of the store. There was a moment where she was almost put in charge of the deliveries that the shop had. And Catra had to be honest… She didn’t even know that Plumeria offered deliveries until that moment. Bow ended up being assigned the job of deliveries while Catra took in charge of the cash register, then the ‘books’ where she had to make sure all the orders were being filled out, then cleaning up and organizing. Everything buzzed loudly and quickly around her. There was a small voice in the back of her mind who suggested that she should call for some even more backup. Entrapta would surely agree to help Perfuma and Scorpia always loved to help friends. But Catra also knew that the environment that the store was in would overwhelm them both very quickly. They didn’t need Scorpia having some sort of outburst or Entrapta curled up and hiding in the back room. 

     They can help once the store closes, she thought to herself as she took another bouquet of flowers from Glimmer to hand it to the customer. Once everyone has a chance to actually catch their breath. 

    No backup was called even after the store closed. Perfuma was the last to leave since it was her store but Catra and Adora were a close second to leaving last. In fact, they all left at the same time. After they had cleaned the flower shop so it didn’t look like there had been a mob in there less than forty minutes before that. She even took a painstakingly long time to make sure that the display flowers were arranged nicely and changed out the older ones. 

    “Thank you,” Perfuma said for what seemed like the hundredth time in thirty seconds, “I’ll be sure to pay you for your work. If you don’t want money then I can bake you something if you want?”

    Catra’s stomach grumbled almost at the exact moment that the other girl said that. It was something that made Perfuma smile and Adora snort- She simply turned her attention to her girlfriend to glare at her as if she had just been betrayed in the most dramatic way. 

    “It’s fine,” Catra said a moment later as she met Perfuma’s eye, “I can help out anytime that you need me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you got to the end and hoped you liked it! You can leave a kudo or a comment, if you want.
> 
> If you really liked it then you could consider supporting me on ko-fi ( http://ko-fi.com/stiles ) so I can keep trying to focus on writing or visit my tumblr @ notstilinski where I sometimes do writing commissions.


	3. I Might Have To Tell You Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She never thought that she would ever have a relationship. Much less one that would last as long as her and Adora.

I don't know what it is but I got that feeling (got that feeling)  
Waking up in this bed next to you swear the room  
Yeah, it got no ceiling  
If we lay, let the day just pass us by  
I might get to too much talking  
I might have to tell you something

* * *

 

     She never thought that she would ever have a relationship. Much less one that would last as long as her and Adora. What did people get each other on their anniversaries? Of course, it hadn’t been a year yet. But six months was still a big deal! Her friends made sure to tell her that quite a few times during the previous weeks and she thought of it herself. Catra knew that they had no plans on making it big or obnoxious like some people did. A nice dinner… Yeah, that sounded good. Somewhere that they had to dress up a little bit. Plus if they went along with that idea than there would be a chance that Adora would wear a dress.

     She would look good in a dress. (But she also looked good in anything).

     There was no way that either of them could begin to describe how they felt about each other. The onslaught of emotions that came from just being near each other. It had been enough for Catra to crack under pressure and actually admit that she had feelings. Both Scorpia and Entrapta were thrilled to see that their friend wasn’t as cold and emotionless as she liked to pretend she was. It was also pretty cute to see her when she saw something that reminded her of Adora or when Adora called. It was the exact sort of behavior that Catra bitched about with other couples.

     Adora wore a dress, like Catra thought she would, and she looked amazing. Like Catra knew she would. The dress was long and red in color. She looked so much like a princess that it almost seemed like a fairytale. It was a shame that neither of the girls seemed too big on fairy tales or their friends would have had a field day with it. Everyone was invested in their relationship at that point- How could you not be when it made your friends so happy?

     “You look handsome,” Adora said with a grin as soon as she answered the door. Her girlfriend merely fixed the jacket she wore before grinning back.

     “Don’t I always, Adora?”

     “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

     “It’s a surprise,” Catra said with a smile in her voice.

     The nice dinner had been what they planned to begin with. The reason that they had agreed to dress up as much as they did and Catra had planned on sticking to that idea. But she was nothing if not a romantic at heart. (Yet another thing that she would never admit to). She wanted their six month anniversary to be a bit more romantic than a cheesy -and boring- dinner at someplace that took itself too seriously. Maybe they would go there for another date or their actual anniversary. Some time where it should be fancy and be taken a bit too seriously. The thought was enough to make her amused smile grow once she noticed the confused expression on Adora’s face.

     A flashing sign indicated that they were at a bar that was barley as full as it should have been for a Friday night. Maybe even barren enough that no one would question two girls in evening wear at a dingy little bar. Or maybe it would be barren enough that people would ask even more question. Either way, it sounded like such a great night and Catra prided herself with the fact that she had managed to surprise Adora.

     Sure, she had surprised her various times but never when it came to their dates. That was more of her girlfriend’s department than it was hers.

     Catra made sure to seem even more dramatic as she climbed out of the car than she usually would. She even went as far as to move around the front to open Adora’s door where the blonde stared up at her with a dumbfounded look. The smirk on her girlfriend’s lips should have clued her in a bit faster than it did.

     “Are you ready for our anniversary?”

     Warm sunlight sneaking through the cracks between the two curtains was what seemed to rose them both from sleep. Mismatched hues slowly blinked open to find pretty gray eyes staring right back at her. The smile that stretched across Adora’s face made something in Catra’s chest twist before releasing as she relaxed. It was still a warm sort of feeling that she got whenever she looked into the other’s eyes. Butterflies in her stomach, too. Every cheesy pop song that there had ever been applied to her in that moment.

     (Maybe not all of them since there was rarely any songs about two girls in love. Were there?)

     The infamous ‘Hey, Adora’ was caught off by the blonde’s lips as she leaned closer to press a gentle kiss against Catra’s lips. She was either being sweet on her or she knew what her girlfriend was about to say. It could be both, Catra thought to herself as she returned the quick kiss. It didn’t matter, either way, she was happy to accept the kiss no matter what.

     “Hey, Adora.”

     There was a squawk as a pillow hit her square in the face.

     Practically five hours had passed and the pair had yet to get up once. Legs twisted together, bedheads to the extreme as they laid there together. If they could go all day without moving from the bed then they would do just that. It didn’t matter that Catra would complain about Adora’s morning breath when they kissed or how Adora almost was suffocated when she tried to spoon her girlfriend. (“My hair is not that crazy! You said you liked my hair!”) None of that mattered. All the hours, minutes, seconds all melted away when they focused on each other. Their conversations would switch between topics or simply die down into silence. One topic would be brought up again like it hadn’t been forgotten forty minutes before.

     Catra had found herself talking a bit more around hour six. A bit more awake and interested in an actual conversation. Not that staring at Adora as she spoke about anything and everything was ever a bad thing. What was she talking about? She couldn’t even remember what had prompted her into talking so much. But her girlfriend had the same look on her face that she did when Catra did something sweet for her. It was enough to make heat rise to the girl’s cheeks as she stopped abruptly.

     Fuck.

     “Are you okay?” The blonde sounded concerned as she raised a hand to cup the other’s face.

     “Yeah,” Catra mumbled dumbly as she stared at her. “I just lost my train of thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you got to the end and hoped you liked it! You can leave a kudo or a comment, if you want.
> 
> If you really liked it then you could consider supporting me on ko-fi ( http://ko-fi.com/stiles ) so I can keep trying to focus on writing or visit my tumblr @ notstilinski where I sometimes do writing commissions.


	4. Damn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It reminded her of how she had felt about Adora but she would have never showed it like he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! Today (and tomorrow's, really) chapter is only about 600 words which, actually, means that it's rather short. It's just a little more mushy stuff instead of anything to really 'move the story along.' But it's cute so I hope you guys enjoy it!

Damn, I like me better when I'm with you  
I like me better when I'm with you  
I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time 'cause  
I like me better when  
I like me better when I'm with you

* * *

 

     It had been a stupid thing to volunteer at Perfuma’s flower shop like she had. She had meant what she said when she told the other girl that she would be glad to help. That didn’t mean that she would be happy to help each and every single time. After some point, she was sure that she would snap at Perfuma or Bow and have to stop helping out. It would make Adora give her that disappointed look but she didn’t really care at that point. So long as she didn’t have to look at another bouquet again or have to listen to some idiot college guy ramble about how he needed the best flowers so he could apologize to his girlfriend. Catra had to pray for those poor girlfriends. They should dump their boyfriends, she thought to herself as she handed over the flowers with a smile to one of those college guy’s in question. They all deserved better.

     The only person that Catra thought was interesting in the last three times that she had helped out was a gangly blonde kid. He was almost as nervous as a little kid who was afraid of talking to a grown up. It didn’t matter that he seemed around the same age as basically everyone in the entire shop. Bow was the one who greeted him and the kid, he had introduced himself as Kyle, had practically spilled his story. He wanted something as a gift to his crush- Perfuma had seemingly materialized the second that he mentioned his crush. Some guy named Rogelio that had defended him from some bullies at their school who was also in a couple of Kyle’s classes.

     Catra hated anything to do with mushy, feely sort of things but even she had to admit that that case was sweet. The kid seemed to be head over heels, too. It reminded her of how she had felt about Adora but she would have never showed it like he did. Bow had handed the bouquet over to her after a minute of working on it so she could ring it up.

     “Good luck,” she said as she handed the flowers over, “I’m sure that he’ll love it.”

     The look on Kyle’s face was like what she had just said actually gave him some sort of confidence. “Thanks! I hope he likes it.”

     Three hours later, the end of her shift came where she could leave and go hang out with her friends. Maybe even go home and get drunk while she waited for her girlfriend to come back home. Glimmer had dragged Adora out to something to do with Glimmer’s mom and spending all day at some fancy hotel. Was it a school thing? Maybe. She knew that they both wanted to continue their education but didn’t know what they wanted to study. There was also a chance that she could hang out with Scorpia for the night if she wasn’t hanging out with Entrapta. It used to be okay spending time with them. But they got a bit too coupley after a certain point and Catra felt like she was third wheeling whenever she spent time with her best friends. What had happened to Entrapta’s crush on Perfuma? Who knew?

     “I can do over time,” Catra announced as she walked into the backroom, “there’s no way that I have to be.”

    A head of blonde hair popped up from where Perfuma had been hunched over at one of the tables. The smile on her face was enough to make something strange twist in Catra’s stomach. It was almost the same feeling that she got when her preschool teacher had complimented her or when customers thanked her. It was that sort of thankful look that a stressed mother would give their friends who offered to watch over their child. As weird as that was, she was glad that she could help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you got to the end and hoped you liked it! You can leave a kudo or a comment, if you want.
> 
> If you really liked it then you could consider supporting me on ko-fi ( http://ko-fi.com/stiles ) or visit my tumblr @ notstilinski where I sometimes do writing commissions.


	5. Stay Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time that she had ever been in love and it felt like it would be her last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! As stated yesterday, today's update will be very short but the last two will probably be longer/a normal length again. But I hope that you enjoy this short chapter, anyways.

Stay awhile, stay awhile  
Stay here with me  
Stay awhile, stay awhile, oh  
Stay awhile, stay awhile  
Stay here with me  
Lay here with me

* * *

 

     Catra was in love with Adora and didn’t know how to process it. The first time that she had ever been in love and it felt like it would be her last. Almost like they were meant to be together forever. She didn’t want to scare the girl off but she also didn’t know how to bring it up. It wouldn’t look good if she was suddenly weird and always tried to avoid the blonde… Especially when people knew how much time they usually spent with one another. But did she really have to tell Adora about her realization?

     What do I even love about her, she thought to herself as she laid in bed. The sound of the shower running from the bathroom was the only background noise besides the bustle of the city outside her window. Eyes stared unseeingly up into the air and at the ceiling above her as she tried to think to herself. Tried was the key word there. It could have been the way that Adora smiled or laughed when Catra said something funny. It could be the way that her eyebrows scrunched together when she was working hard on something or the snarky comebacks she had at the ready when Catra tried to tease her. Maybe… Just maybe… It was simply for the fact that she was drop dead gorgeous. It wouldn’t be all too surprising to see her on the cover of a magazine or have some fictional heroine modeled after her. She even had the personality for it!

     Adora wanted to help people and she was so kind. A bit awkward, sure, but she wanted what was best for everyone. That was something that seemed to have rubbed off on Catra as her friends liked to point out. Of course, they didn’t actually know that that was because of Adora. 

     Her eyes remained unfocused as she stared at the ceiling even as the sound of the shower was silenced. The only sound that came from the bathroom after that was the rustle of her girlfriend getting dressed and the door opening a second later. After a moment, she finally managed to glance towards the approaching blonde and managed a small smile. Did Adora know how pretty she looked in her stupid pajamas? It was enough to take Catra’s breath away almost every single time that she saw her. 

     “You should put some clothes on. We can go out for dinner if you-”

     “Want to move in with me?”

     The words died in Adora’s throat as she stared like an idiot at the girl before her. Sure, it may have been on an impulse but it was a genuine question! If Catra’s apartment wasn’t fit for them then they could simply move into Adora’s house. But that was assuming that she actually wanted to move in with her. Catra felt like she would curl up into a hole and die if the answer was no, too. No biggie. 

     “You want me to move in with you?” The blonde sounded a bit skeptical but there was still an underlying tone. Hopeful, maybe, but that could also be her imagination. 

     “Uh, yeah,” Catra said as she sat up, pulling the blanket up with her to keep warm. “I want to live with you. We can find a new apartment to live in, if you want. We don’t have to live here since I know it’s pretty shitty and stuff. I don’t care where as long as-”

     A smile had spread across Adora’s features as she stared at her girlfriend for a second before climbing onto the bed towards her. The words died on Catra’s lips as she stared at the approaching blonde. There was a sweet, lingering kissed pressed against her lips before Adora pulled away. 

     “I would love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you got to the end and hoped you liked it! You can leave a kudo or a comment, if you want.
> 
> If you really liked it then you could consider supporting me on ko-fi ( http://ko-fi.com/stiles ) so I can keep trying to focus on writing or visit my tumblr @ notstilinski where I sometimes do writing commissions.


	6. I'd Stay For A Long Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A good dozen of college aged kids had made there way in and out of the apartment for a good two days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ' bu T THe lAsT two WILL be lONger ' me @ me while writing this chapter: bitch what the fuck ! what the fuck ! 
> 
> Basically I'm sorry but this chapter is very short & sucks very much. I'll spend more time on the last chapter because that will definitely be longer so look forward to that! Also... If the length of the chapters really bother me... I might just redo this. Maybe as a drabble?

I like me better when I'm with you (yes, I do, yes, I do, babe)  
I like me better when I'm with you (ooh, no)  
I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time 'cause  
I like me better when  
I like me better when I'm with you

* * *

 

     There was something about waking up beside someone and the simple act of living with someone that you couldn’t help but enjoy. Quite a few people would tell you that it was a struggle during the first month or so because you had to learn to live with a person. It didn’t matter if you practically lived with them previous to that. Practically living with someone and actually living with someone were two very different things. Not that it mattered since Catra loved the fact that she lived with her girlfriend and would never change her mind. It didn’t matter if they bickered or got annoyed with each other. With the two of them, there was rarely any actual disagreements but they had their playful banter. Nothing new.

      A good dozen of college aged kids had made there way in and out of the apartment for a good two days. Bow and Glimmer had stopped by on multiple occasions, they barely got Perfuma to leave once while Scorpia and Entrapta spent their entire days at the apartment. Every friend that they had came over to help, honestly. There was some point where Adora had dragged Catra out to the store so they could get some food and smaller pieces of furniture that they needed to replace. She wanted the apartment to look a bit nicer, more tidy, than Catra had it. It wasn’t just her ‘bachelor pad’ anymore. But in all honesty? She could do anything and Catra would probably go along with it because she definitely knew better than her.

     Entrapta, Scorpia and Perfuma would probably be cleaning up the apartment while they were out and some small part of her felt bad. But they did volunteer to do it and they were greatly appreciated. Why else would Adora make her buy so many snacks and good food for them to eat at the end of the day?

     “We organized everything in all the rooms but the bedroom!” Perfuma chirped from the kitchen as soon as they entered the apartment about two or three hours later.

     “Really? How long did that take you?” Adora dropped the bags that she carried before she moved over to where their friends were.

      “It took us one hour, forty minutes and fifteen seconds!” Entrapta called from her spot on the floor of the living room.

      Catra stepped further into the apartment to follow her girlfriend’s lead and drop her grocery bags onto the table. There was no hesitation before she started to put the things away and lay the items that they got for lunch out. A second later and Scorpia appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands off on her jeans as she smiled brightly at them. It was nice to see that she was still so cheerful even after hours of boring work for her friend. How could so many people still happily help them when they needed them so much? Was that what normal friends were like?

     She genuinely didn’t know since, until she was a senior in high school, she didn’t have any friends. It was hard to make friends when you had the personality that she did.

     “You’re back!”

     Catra couldn’t help but brace herself for the hug that she knew was coming. Her friend’s buff arms drew her and Adora into a tight embrace with a gentle squeeze. There was a long sigh before she wrapped an arm around the larger girl to return the hug. It was the least that she could do since they had spent all day with them. Another squeeze before Scorpia pulled away and launched into her happy rambles about what they had done while they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you got to the end and hoped you liked it! You can leave a kudo or a comment, if you want.
> 
> If you really liked it then you could consider supporting me on ko-fi ( http://ko-fi.com/stiles ) so I can keep trying to focus on writing or visit my tumblr @ notstilinski where I sometimes do writing commissions.


	7. What You Made Me Into

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sure, she would love to sleep in and blow work off. But she couldn’t do that to everyone at work since they were expecting her there. Catra couldn’t even sleep in anyway since she had an appointment with a therapist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this is disgusting and you guys deserve better. honestly? I'll probably re-write this but not as an actual multi-chaptered thing. (Have you ever seen something go downhill so fast?)

(I like me, I like me)  
(Look who you made me, made me, oh, no)  
Better when, I like me better when I'm with you

* * *

 

     Plumeria was never one of those flower shops who would have stampedes of people or crazy customers come through. It seemed exactly like that small business where everyone seemed to be happy in almost every fictional romance story. The sort where the main characters met and fell in love because of the business. And it was always so quiet and nice- Nothing like the craziness of the usual businesses and flower shops around Valentine’s Day when everyone decided that flowers were the perfect gift for their significant other. Just because it was a special day of love and not because they genuinely wanted to. 

     It was unclear exactly when Catra had actually started to work at the shop but she was glad that she did. Maybe it started when she offered to help out at the store and simply never stopped. She would volunteer again and again, Perfuma would ask her to help and everything else. And, like she had promised earlier that week, Perfuma actually began to pay her. A little bit at first but then she started to give her actual pay checks. Glimmer even gave her a name tag so she could seem like an actual employee. The only problem with the fact that she now worked there was the fact that she had to get up at a decent time. 

     Sure, she would love to sleep in and blow work off. But she couldn’t do that to everyone at work since they were expecting her there. Catra couldn’t even sleep in anyway since she had an appointment with a therapist. It was something that she had finally caved in and admitted that she needed it. Adora had supported her through making the appointment and the first time that she had visited the therapist. 

     Years of abuse was something that you didn’t just get over even if you had friends and a girlfriend. Even if you had something to talk to about it, really. People needed to talk to an actual official who knew how to help you and it took years for her to realize that. Honestly? She wasn’t sure if that was completely true but she knew that she needed it. 

     Therapy was something that had helped all of her friends and something that they encouraged her to do. Everyone just wanted her to be happy, right?

      “You’re here!” 

     Mismatched hues blinked slowly in surprise as the sight before her slowly settled into her mind. Entrapta behind the front counter of Plumeria with an apron and a little name tag of her own with Perfuma by her side. They were clearly in the middle of working on something if the flowers in front of them was anything to go by. Entrapta was someone who would definitely help out if she worked at the shop… As long as she worked in the back. 

      (No hate to her, really. Catra just knew that she could get overwhelmed rather easily and had sensory issues). 

      “Hey,” She said before she moved around the counter to toss her bag onto the counter behind them. “Is Adora here? She said that she was going to run some errands before she came to work.”

      “Yeah. She’s in the back,” Perfuma said before she turned back to Entrapta. 

      The gentle smile on her face grew as soon as she moved into the back room and caught sight of her girlfriend. Of course, she was with her friends and happily chatting with them. Glimmer said something which made Bow yell her name and Adora laugh. Her smile grew even more before she moved closer to the table where they were all standing around. 

      A quick form of silence settled over them all once they noticed Catra’s arrival before they all grinned at her. It was almost like the smiles that kids gave their mother when they were caught doing something stupid. Without any warning, Adora leaned across the table to press a quick peck to her girlfriend’s lips which made her laugh. Her face scrunched up ever so slightly before she laughed softly. Something that no one at Plumeria’s would ever think that they would hear so openly and freely. 

      “You act like you haven’t seen me all day,” she joked. 

      “Because I haven’t and I missed you,” Adora cooed back.

      “Hey, Catra!” Glimmer interjected herself into the moment just as loudly as she usually did, “Wanna hear about what Bow and Adora did?!”

      Plumeria was never one of those flower shops that would have a stampede or ridiculous customers around any sort of holiday. It got busy, of course. They would sometimes need to call people in to help out since there was only a couple of employees working a week. The week of Valentine’s Day was surely busy with so many people needing flowers for the ‘special someone.’ Part of her was glad that she didn’t need to do anything too drastic for their first Valentine's Day since she knew her girlfriend. She knew what her girlfriend liked and what they were going to do on the fourteenth. Unless Adora pulled the same thing that she did on their anniversary and surprised her with something. 

     The day had gone by without any real hitch as she busied herself with small tasks. Every so often, she would move to the front and help the customers who came in. Perfuma always needed a bit more help towards the end of lunch time when a rush of people that came in. 

     “Catra!” A head of blonde hair poked out of the back room. Beautiful smile spreading across her features as she looked at the other, “Wanna go for lunch?”

     The smaller girl paused in her work before she let out a small laugh and turned towards her girlfriend. “I get to pick the place. We had to eat from your place the last couple of times.”

     Something twinkled in Adora’s eyes before she let out a tiny laugh and motioned her to follow. They both knew that Adora would get her way one way or another. 

     She could be very persuasive when she needed to be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you got to the end and hoped you liked it! You can leave a kudo or a comment, if you want.
> 
> If you really liked it then you could consider supporting me on ko-fi ( http://ko-fi.com/stiles ) so I can keep trying to focus on writing or visit my tumblr @ notstilinski where I sometimes do writing commissions.


End file.
